Movie variety show soul travels between two worlds to become a rich man

Chapter 704 The Money is Secured, the Treasure is in Hand
"Can--"

Gao Dongxu didn't actually have that much cash on hand, but he could go back to the modern world and collect it slowly.

"Since you have a fixed price, I won't go into details. However, I do have one request."

Pian'er Ye's eyes immediately lit up, and he readily said, "You tell me—"

"Nothing in the house, not a single piece of furniture, not a single bottle or jar, can be touched," Gao Dongxu said sharply.

"Hey, this is nothing, no problem, it's all yours—" Pian'erye naturally knew that the furniture and porcelain in his house were all old items, but at this time of year, they wouldn't fetch much money even if he sold them all, and the furniture was destined to be used for chopping firewood.

“Because houses cannot be sold publicly now, we can only conduct transactions privately, sign a loan and mortgage agreement, and at the same time, claim to the outside world that I am your distant nephew, I have taken the front yard, and you can live in the back yard for free. I will seal off the porch. In this way, over time, no one will suspect anything about the two alleys of the front and back yards.”

Gao Dongxu looked at Pian'er Ye, who had frowned but then understood and smiled as he spoke.

"Hehe, okay, we'll do it your way." Pian'er nodded and smiled at Gao Dongxu, saying, "Actually, you don't need to worry about others suspecting anything. After I get the money, I'll go back to the Northeast and won't be back for a while. You can just stay here in peace."

"Is that so?" Gao Dongxu frowned slightly and said, "Then you'll have to sign another property transfer agreement with me. In case you don't return to Beijing, the property can be freely bought and sold, and I can complete the transfer."

"No problem." Master Pian was in a very good mood; being able to sell it for such a high price was truly beyond his expectations.

Gao Dongxu looked at the film crew member who was staring at him expectantly, and smiled as he took out a large wad of banknotes from his pocket.

Pian'er's eyes lit up, and a happy and excited smile appeared on his face.

"Here's five hundred. That's all I brought, but it's enough as a deposit. I'll bring the rest tomorrow anyway." Gao Dongxu pointed out five hundred and handed it to Pian'er Ye, who couldn't suppress his smile.

After the old man accepted the money, Gao Dongxu laughed and said, "Shall we write a contract? If you go back on your word after I've received the deposit, you'll have to pay me double."

"This..." Pian'er frowned immediately, a little hesitant. That's just his personality; he's easily swayed and prone to changing his mind. He really didn't dare to agree to double compensation.

"Master Pian, you're not thinking of marrying one woman to multiple men and waiting for the best price, are you? That would be dishonest." Gao Dongxu said with a smile as he lit a fire to roast him.

"No way! We men mean what we say. It's just a written agreement, sign it. Come on, come inside, I'll get some paper and pen—" Old Man Pian'er's face flushed slightly, but he quickly denied it and agreed.

"You're a generous man. From now on, you'll be my uncle," Gao Dongxu praised, giving a thumbs-up.

"Haha, good, you are my nephew—" Pian'er Ye laughed happily, then suddenly slapped his head and laughed, "I've already acknowledged you as my uncle and nephew, but I still don't know your name."

"Gao Dongxu, a worker at Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill," Gao Dongxu said with a smile.

"This?" Pian'erye looked at Gao Dongxu in astonishment. He really didn't expect that Gao Dongxu was just a worker. It was not easy for a worker to come up with so much money.

“You don’t need to worry, the money is absolutely legitimate; it was all left to me by my father,” Gao Dongxu said with a smile.

Pian'erye looked enlightened, but he didn't care whether Gao Dongxu's money came from legitimate sources or not. Anyway, he would leave the capital immediately after taking the money, so it didn't matter where it came from, as long as he could spend it.

The agreement was quickly written, signed, and fingerprinted. Gao Dongxu smiled and got up to say goodbye. Pian'er saw him to the door, watched Gao Dongxu ride away on his bicycle, and then, with a cheerful smile, put his hands behind his back, hummed a little tune, and swayed into the door.

Gao Dongxu rode his bicycle at breakneck speed all the way back to No. 95 Courtyard, unloaded the New Year's goods, and then rushed to Liulichang without stopping.

Originally, he intended to use the remaining two hundred yuan to buy some treasures to bring back to the modern world. However, he did not expect that it was this impromptu decision that would give him the opportunity to see Su Dongpo's "Bamboo and Rocks of Xiaoxiang".

At that moment, Gao Dongxu had just stopped his bicycle, locked it, and rushed into Rongbaozhai when he heard an elderly man with white hair and black-rimmed glasses arguing angrily with the store's salesperson while speaking Mandarin with a southern accent.

"...You have to stand by what you said. How could this be a fake!"

The salesperson in the store looked at the other person with disdain and sneered, "It's a fake. Sorry, this painting of yours isn't worth buying."

"Look closely, this is Su Dongpo's 'Bamboo and Rocks of Xiaoxiang,' one of the two genuine works by Su Dongpo that I bought from Fang Yulou in the 20s..." The old man seemed genuinely angered by the salesman's attitude. He tried to explain and prove that the painting in his hand was a genuine antique, not a fraudster trying to swindle money with a fake.

"Heh, everyone who comes to sell that stuff claims it's genuine, with a whole bunch of stories to tell. Alright, old man, you don't need to get angry with me here. Why don't you go ask at other shops? Maybe someone will buy it." Hearing the other person's mocking tone, the old man felt extremely insulted. His face turned red, and he breathed heavily as he carefully placed the scroll into the box. He snorted coldly, picked up the box, and turned to leave.

Gao Dongxu followed the old man out of Rongbaozhai without making a sound. He watched as the old man stood on the street, looking around as if considering which store to go to next. However, he finally sighed and walked out of Liulichang dejectedly.

"Sir, please wait—" Gao Dongxu caught up with the old man with incredibly bright eyes and called out.

The old man turned to look at Gao Dongxu, a suspicious expression on his face. He frowned and asked, "Young comrade, are you calling me?"

“Yes, sir, I was just at Rongbaozhai. May I see this painting in your hand?” Gao Dongxu asked with a smile.

The old man subconsciously tightened his grip on the painting box under his arm, frowned as he looked at the scrutinizing young Gao Dongxu, and asked skeptically, "You also know about calligraphy and painting?"

"I know a little about it. I enjoy collecting calligraphy and paintings by famous people," Gao Dongxu said modestly.

The old man adjusted his glasses, scrutinized Gao Dongxu from head to toe, frowned, pondered for a moment, then sighed and said, "If you want to see it, I'll let you. Everyone says it's a fake. Do you think I don't know whether it's a fake or not? It just shows their poor eyesight... Come on, young man, let's go to the side; it's windy here—"

"Alright, please go first—" Gao Dongxu recalled the story of Su Dongpo's controversial "Bamboo and Rocks of Xiaoxiang" painting in his mind. Looking at the old man in front of him, he was filled with emotion. If it really was "Bamboo and Rocks of Xiaoxiang," then this old man really was Bai Jianfu. He had served as the secretary-general of the Beiyang warlord Wu Peifu for many years, betrayed his country, and was sentenced to prison. Hmm, an old traitor.

In a sheltered corner, the old man carefully opened the painting box, and Gao Dongxu hurriedly stepped forward and carefully helped him slowly unfold the ancient painting.

When Gao Dongxu's fingers touched the ancient painting, he knew without a doubt that it was an authentic work, and that it possessed a very strong spiritual energy.

He was filled with excitement, knowing that in the modern world, many priceless antiques and paintings were destroyed by fire during those ten years.

Given the old man's status, this painting, "Bamboo and Rocks of Xiaoxiang," was destined for misfortune.

(To reiterate the setting: the antiques and paintings brought out of the courtyard world were all antiques destroyed in the modern world during those ten years. There is no overlap. Please accept this setting without further explanation.)
"Grandpa, I really like this painting. Please name your price—" Gao Dongxu helped the old man put away the scroll, then held onto it tightly, his eyes shining as he looked at the old man with intense longing.

"Hmm?" The old man was a little surprised and looked at Gao Dongxu with a frown, saying, "You want to buy it?"

"Yes, please name your price."

“Young man, they all think this is a fake,” the old man said, looking at Gao Dongxu with a complicated expression.

“Even if it’s a fake, I’ll still buy it, mainly because I really like this painting,” Gao Dongxu continued.

“Hey young man, if I weren’t truly desperate, I really wouldn’t want to sell this painting. Although everyone says it’s a fake, I know it’s a genuine work by Su Dongpo. If you really want it, give me two hundred yuan and fifty jin of grain coupons, and it’s yours.” The old man’s eyes gleamed with expectation.

Gao Dongxu frowned; the price was indeed quite high. However, he didn't hesitate for long, took out the money and food coupons, and handed them to the old man, saying, "Please check if it's correct."

The old man hesitated for a moment when he saw the money and food coupons in front of him. Finally, he sighed softly, took the money and coupons, let go of the scroll he was holding, and handed the painting box to Gao Dongxu. He looked at Gao Dongxu with a complicated expression and said, "Very few of Su Shi's works have survived to this day. Each one is a rare treasure. I hope you will cherish it."

"You can rest assured about that," Gao Dongxu said with a faint smile. "Old man, we've settled the matter, see you later—"

The old man watched as Gao Dongxu turned and left without hesitation, taking the painting with him. His lips twitched a few times, and finally, with a pained expression, he tightly clutched the money and tickets in his hand.

Gao Dongxu pushed his bicycle, walked to the antique shop, bought five jade plaques and pendants, and then rode away from Liulichang. When he returned home and was resting in bed, his consciousness left the courtyard world and returned to the modern world.

This trip to the world of courtyard houses was originally planned to last two months, but plans don't always go as expected. I'll first collect enough gold coins at the market before heading back.

He closed his eyes, held a jade tablet in his hand, and began to draw spiritual energy from the tablet, guiding it into the Tai Chi spiritual energy vortex in his dantian.

The next morning, around eight o'clock, Gao Dongxu yawned as he walked out of the tent. Watching everyone busy at work, he opened a moon chair and sat lazily in the sun. A little while later, Ru Xin came over with a steaming breakfast.

"time to eat--"

"Hmm." Opening his eyes, Gao Dongxu lazily took the tray, placed it on his lap, and began to eat his breakfast.

(End of this chapter)